Rules to Lose By
by Forever in Your Heart
Summary: So many rules and so easy to break, they never really stood a chance, did they? AU NejiTen
1. Part 1

_2 years, 18 days ago_

Neji's fingers were gentle as they threaded through her hair and she sighed softly at his touch. He smiled sadly and moved closer to her, his other hand stroking up her arm. She shivered and tightened her grip on his hips, fisting her hands into the material of his pants. He pressed tender kisses to her eyelids and she bit her lip to keep her tears at bay. He rested his forehead against hers and they breathed each other in in silence, their hearts pounding against their ribs.

"It all ends tomorrow." He exhaled against her and she shook her head, scooting herself even closer to him.

"It doesn't have to." He let out a bitter laugh.

"Our fate was sealed long ago." She moved her hands to cup his cheeks and opened her eyes, looking straight into his.

"And how many times do I have to tell you that I don't believe in fate?" He didn't answer but kissed her instead and she kissed him back, letting the words they were forbidden to say pour into him. When they pulled back to breathe, she ran her thumbs over his cheekbones and tried to drink in the sight of him with her eyes, imprinting his image onto her heart.

"If there is such thing as fate, then I'll find you again Neji, I promise. If things are meant to be, then we are meant to be. This isn't the end," she whispered kissing him softly, "It'll never be the end."

_Love is a crime. Duty is all that matters._

* * *

><p><em>Present<em>

The sky was orange today. Things were always worse on days when the sky was orange.

Tenten watched as Sasuke wound the bandage tightly around his arm, mouth twisted into a bitter frown. He was never an overly peppy person, not that she knew why (it'd been two years, but she wasn't allowed to ask) but on orange days he was worse than usual and she sometimes wondered why, wondered what it was about these days that made his temper so much fouler. Was it just the weather? Or maybe he had a memory of another orange day, a memory that hurt to think of.

All of Tenten's memories hurt to think of.

The morning had started off poorly, Sasuke slicing into his arm with the hunting knife, blood pooling around him and she knew they'd be in horrid trouble if anyone found out. She'd hurried into the house, grabbing a bandage and rags and a sewing kit that had belonged to someone she wasn't allowed to think of. Sasuke had held the rag on his wound to staunch the bleeding and she'd mopped up the mess he'd made, scrubbing to erase any trace from the knife and the ground, digging up the dirt and grass she couldn't clean. She'd tossed it all into the fire pit and prayed no one came by until after noontime when she'd be able to burn it. She turned to Sasuke then, opening up the kit and pulling out needles and thread. She'd always been terrible with sewing, but she did her best, stitching up his arm as hastily as she could. He gritted his teeth but never once complained or tried to pull away, but then, he knew it'd be worse if he did. She'd left him with the bandages and tossed the bloodied rags into the fire pit and hurried to replace the sewing kit before anyone realised she'd used it.

The sky turned into darker orange as she watched and she turned back to her chores, lest she be accused of slacking and that's what happened to _her_ last time the sky'd been like this and Tenten remembered how that ended. Sasuke finished tying his arm and stood to leave, off to hunt and he was so behind and they'd be in so much trouble if anyone ever found out. She tried to console herself with thoughts of how prodigiously talented Sasuke was, of how even though he had gotten a late start, he was sure to be able to catch enough that no one would be suspicious.

She was washing his shirts because he had to be presentable, if he wasn't, if he wasn't he'd end up just like, well, she couldn't let that happen. She scrubbed so hard her hands were raw and she had to stop because if she bled she'd not only ruin the water but break a cardinal rule and she could never afford that, especially not on an orange day. She cleaned instead for a bit, sweeping mostly because it didn't work her hands until she felt she could get back to the clothes without issue. When she'd finished up she hung them to dry and went back inside to finish her cleaning. The place was eerie when she was alone but she always was this time of day, what with only her and Sasuke left. It was better when...well, it didn't matter. She checked the time as often as she could, because she needed it to be noontime, because noontime meant she could start the fire and then she could hide the evidence.

She readied potatoes for lunch, one for the each of them and finally Sasuke returned, exactly on time, exactly at noon. She hurried to the yard and set the fire, pot of potatoes ready in one hand to be boiled. Sasuke slipped to the back of the house to prepare the meat and she kept a careful eye on the bloody rags, willing them to burn quicker. When the fire settled enough for boiling, she put the pot over and lucky too as she saw _them_ coming just as she did.

_They_ were two men, tall but narrow shouldered, their uniforms crisp and freshly pressed. An inspection. _Of course_. It was an orange day after all and bad things always happened on orange days. She kept her body turned to the fire but watched discreetly from the corner of her eye.

"Look at this, a hardworking citizen, just as she should be." One of the men commented and the mirth in his tone made her body taught with anger. The other man nodded and the first focused his look on her.

"Any comments on that?" He asked her and she ignored him, kept her mouth shut and her eyes glued to her potatoes. He laughed.

"And quiet too, as she should be. We won't have to do with this one what we did with the one next door." The man laughed as he moved on to survey the yard and inspect what Sasuke was doing and she felt cold fear settle in her belly. Next door? Which girl next door? Temari? No, she was too smart to talk to any of the officers. Hanabi then? Yes, she was young and tempestuous, they might've caught her. Tenten's stomach sunk at the thought and the way the man had laughed when he spoke of it. So many rules and all so easy to break, they never had a chance, did they?

God, she hated orange days.

_There is no hate. Only your responsibilities._


	2. Part 2

_2 years, 17 days ago_

Lee died on an orange day.

Tenten sighed as she wrapped her arms around her knees, breathing in the stale summer air. She sat on the dry grass at the bottom of a hill on the edge of town and the slope cut off the sounds of the village and she could almost imagine it was any other day.

Except it wasn't. Today was placement day. _Her_ placement day.

Tenten knew she only had about five minutes until the officers passed by her spot in hourly inspection and she'd have to be gone by then, because being caught was never an option. She stood, slowly brushing away the yellow grass that clung to her clothes, hoping for anything at all to stall the inevitable.

"Tenten! Tenten!" She bristled in horror, whipping her head around to see Lee running down the slope towards her. What was he doing? If anyone heard him… He tripped and she lunged forward without thinking, catching him under the shoulders. She let go quickly, terrified someone would catch them looking so friendly. He was panting and they only had a few minutes, they _had_to go before the officers arrived.

"Lee, we need to go." Her voice was urgent but he shook his head.

"Tenten, I need to say goodbye. You are my dearest friend and after today, we will never see each other again." Tenten could feel the tears in her eyes but shook her head violently.

"Lee, the officers will be here any minute. We _need_ to go." He finally seemed to catch onto her urgency and nodded, but before she could leave, he reached forward and pulled her into a hug. She fell against him in surprise before the weight of what was meant to happen today slammed into her full force.

It was placement day. They were all to be sent away, god only knew where with total strangers, with everything they had ever known stripped away from them. She would be losing her home, her family, her friends. Not that she was meant to be attached to any of them, but she'd never been able to help that. She'd fallen in love with Neji and Lee was her very best friend.

Her goodbye to Neji had nearly broken her but she'd held it together, but saying goodbye to both her boys, her family? This time she couldn't stop the tears. Regardless of the punishment that awaited them if they were caught, she tightened her arms around him, resting her head against the crook of his neck and cried. She could feel Lee's tears against her hair and she thinks she could have stood there forever if she hadn't heard them coming.

The officers.

She pulled away from Lee and couldn't bear to look at him, instead turning tail and fleeing up the hill to safety. When she turned back it was to see Lee stumble over a protruding rock, his hands going out in front of him to block his fall. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw him stand and peer at the blood welling from the cut on his hand. _No, no! Run Lee, quick, run!_

But it was too late, the officers had seen him. She couldn't fight the tears now, because she knew what would happen, knew what they do when they saw the blood on his hand. Displacement.

She hid behind the other side of the hill, eyes glued to the scene before her. The officers marched towards him and she could hear the sounds of their voices as they barked questions at him, but not the words. He didn't answer just as he was supposed to, but it didn't matter. One of the officers seized his injured hand and it was like she was watching in slow motion as a single drop of blood squeezed from his cut and fell against the dirt.

_Please no, not Lee, please not Lee_, she begged silently as they grabbed him by the arms and began hauling him away. _Please not Lee_…and she tried desperately to be quiet as she watched them drag away her best friend, fighting the urge to jump down and fight them off.

She'd known she'd have to say goodbye today, but not like this, never like this.

_Lee, Lee , please not Lee…_but it was too late. It was always too late.

_Blood is strength. Lose a drop and you have become weaker. Weakness is intolerable._

* * *

><p><em>Present Day<em>

Tenten's hands shook as she stirred her potatoes, thoughts of Hanabi's displacement invading her brain. She knew she had to get a grip before the officers came back from inspecting Sasuke…_Sasuke._

If they saw his bandages…if they saw his bandages it was over. The both of them would be taken for displacement and that would be the end of it. But no, she tried to reassure herself, the officers hadn't inspected her too closely, just gave her a brief once over before going inside to make sure the house was in order. They could do the same for him. Sasuke was always meticulous when it came to his tasks and he'd never be foolish enough to talk back to the officers, so they had a chance. As long as he kept his arm out of sight and they only did a quick look, everything would be okay. Well, as okay as anything here ever was.

She checked the potatoes again as she attempted to regulate her breathing and noticed they were done. She looked quickly over her shoulder and noting that the officers still hadn't returned, she kept the fire burning to make sure anything even hinting at Sasuke's accident was thoroughly destroyed. She drained the water from the pot as she waited, making sure to keep an eye on where the officers would be coming from. She rubbed at her stinging eyes and waited, poking at the ashy remains of their crime. The smoke was making her woozy but she didn't have a choice, not if she was going to keep her promise to Neji (she wasn't allowed to remember the past, but he was one name she refused to forget).

When she caught sight of someone making their way from the back of the house, she quickly doused the fire and stood, carrying her pot back inside. She set it down on the counter top and pulled out two plates from the cupboard and peeked out the window. It was only Sasuke, carrying two metal containers filled with the meat he'd prepared. The smaller was to be put in the icebox and the larger was to sold be at Market on Market Day, which was probably both the best and most nerve wracking day of the week.

The best because she was finally allowed to leave their property and not only that, but interact with all sorts of people that weren't Sasuke (not that she hated him or anything, he just wasn't the most stunning conversationalist). The most nerve wracking because the Market was always crawling with officers and she had to be on her very best behaviour. Someone always got caught on Market Day, if not several someones and it always managed to dampen the mood.

She watched Sasuke through the window as she added some cheese to their plates. The officers followed him out from behind the house, but they seemed to be done with their inspecting, their bodies turning towards the dirt road out front. She let out a breath of relief. Clearly, Sasuke had passed inspection. They were safe.

She added some carrots and tried to decide if she wanted deer or rabbit when it happened. Sasuke's arm had to still be weak from this morning and the hunting probably hadn't helped, which was the only reason she could think to explain what happened next. The handle of the larger container slipped out of his hand and the smaller one on top slid straight to the ground, the lid springing off and leaving their meat portion spilling across the dirt. The officers froze and turned around to see what was happening and Tenten grabbed the counter edge and squeezed.

Sasuke had already bent down to try and clean his mess but the officers marched purposefully towards him and she could tell by the hard glint in their eyes that they were in very deep trouble. The shorter of the two grabbed Sasuke's injured arm and jerked up his sleeve, revealing the bandages beneath. The taller was already calling it in, which meant back up was on its way. That didn't stop her from grabbing a carving knife from the drawer and gripping it tightly, just waiting for one of the officers to come for her. The officer holding Sasuke was stripping away the bandages and he'd be able to tell fairly easily that there was no way Sasuke would have been able to stitch up the wound on his own. They'd take the both of them for displacement for this and there was nothing they could do, except…

Sasuke lifted his head and their eyes met through the glass and he nodded minutely. She dipped her chin in agreement and steadied her hand. Both the others they'd lived with had been taken and after, Sasuke and Tenten had whispered a secret plan to each other. They wouldn't be taken, not like Kin, not like Zaku, not like Hanabi next door, or Lee, _her Lee,_ not like Dosu or Hana or Juugo or Chouji at the market and Tenten felt a thousand times freer just being able to think their names.

Their plan was crazy and most probably suicidal but it was better than displacement and Tenten had to live, because Neji was out there, he had to be and she was going to find him dammit, and this stupid world and its stupid rules weren't going to beat her. Sasuke allowed the man to pull him to his feet as the other officer headed for the door. She hid the knife behind her apron and waited, head turned down to the lunch plates as if she had no idea what was happening. He came in and she could see him in her peripherals.

"Come with me. You are being taken for displacement." His voice was gruff as he grabbed her arm and turned her around. She raised her chin to meet his eyes and smirked and he looked at her in confusion.

"No." His mouth opened in outrage that she dared speak to him, but honestly, what, were they going to displace her twice? Before he could even get a word out, she plunged her knife into his chest and it was harder than she imagined and she grunted with the effort, but she needed this to kill him. He staggered against the table and there was blood everywhere as his body tumbled to the floor. The knife handle was slick in her palm as she turned quickly to the window to check on Sasuke and tried desperately not to think about the fact that she had just killed a man.

Sasuke was fine, face grim with the officer that had been holding him prone on the ground. Tenten quickly ducked down and began riffling behind the sink, pushing aside buckets and rags and cleaning fluid. Her nails finally tightened around the "just in case" packs she'd prepared and she pulled them out, standing even as she felt light headed.

She made her way out onto their lawn and it felt surreal to think this was the last time she'd ever stand on it. The fire pit was still smoking and Sasuke held out a hand for his pack and she tried her best not to look at the man at their feet. The two didn't speak as they hurried away from their house and she was less than surprised that this had happened on an orange day of all days. Tenten stared at Sasuke's back before taking a deep breath and drawing up beside him. She reached forward and took his hand, tightening her fingers around his, even as they hung limp in her grip. It was breaking the rules, but then, when had she ever followed the rules?

Sasuke hesitated before wrapping his fingers around hers.

They were in this together, rules be damned.

_Rules exist to be followed. Absolute punishment to those who do not._


	3. Part 3

_2 years, 17 days ago_

Tenten fell against the nearest wall, her back sliding down the rough stone. She tried desperately to stop crying because she was in town now and anyone could see her but every time she almost managed, all she could see was Lee as they dragged him away. She dug her nails into her scalp, hoping the pain would ground her but Lee's displacement was tearing her apart.

Displacement.

It was the only punishment in the nation of Konoha. No matter the crime, the punishment was always displacement. They were forbidden to speak of it, to even think of it but it was hard not to. No one spoke of it, true, but you could never avoid thinking about it. It was a constant threat, lurking around every corner. Even the smallest of misstep would bring it down on you.

If you were caught breaking a rule, any rule, the officers would take you away and that would be the end of you. You'd never be heard from or seen again and that either meant permanent incarceration or much more likely death. Breaking a rule meant you were unfit to live in society, so what else would they do but kill you?

"Tenten?" She looked up in shock to see Neji peering down at her. His voice was cold and indifferent as it always was when they met in public but she could see the concern in his eyes. She stood on shaky legs and tried to smile, only for Lee's terrified face to flash before her eyes. Her face crumpled as she felt the tears coming. Neji did a quick check of the surroundings before grabbing her and pulling her into the empty building she leaned against.

"What's wrong?" His voice was quiet but insistent and she fell against him, pushing her face into the scratchy material of his shirt.

"Lee," she whispered, "Lee, Lee, Lee." She could feel Neji's sharp inhale and she didn't have to say anything else, he knew. She curled her fingers into his shirt and he tightened his grip on her. They didn't speak, just clung to each other and the fact that this was it, that this was the last time, made her brave. She pushed away from him, wiped her tears and smiled. He was shocked and she could see the pain from Lee's loss fresh in his eyes.

"It's going to be okay." His eyes widened and he looked at her with incredulity.

"This is what they want. They want us to cry and break and be scared. But I won't, not anymore. No more tears. I still have Lee," she told him, placing a hand over her heart, "and I'll always have you." She reached forward and took his hand.

"We're not going to let them win. We're going to be together again someday." She'd never seen him so close to tears and she squeezed his hand.

"I love you." His fingers twitched in hers as they simply stared at each other. Her heart was aching but she knew she'd never trade a single moment she'd spent with Neji. _This isn't the end. _She turned to leave then because the longer she stayed, the harder it became.

"Tenten." Neji surged forward to grab her hand and she froze, heart stuttering.

"I love you too." She smiled and nodded, not daring to turn back to look at him, knowing she'd never leave if she did. She walked away, her fingers tingling as they slid out of his hand. _I'll find you again_ she vowed as she imagined Neji watching her leave, _I promise._

Today was the last day of being scared. Of crying. From here on out, Tenten was going to be strong. She was going to be brave.

The village roads were quiet and empty as she made her way to Market Center where her Placement would be happening. Placement happened every year and those selected were lined up and Placed. They were each assigned a village (never the one you lived in) and a house where they would live with three total strangers. Each person would receive a unique task list, based on the skill tests they'd been taking all their lives. And that would be their life. They would perform their tasks and they would never think or speak of the lives they had before placement and they would keep society running like a well oiled machine. Relationships would be kept cordial and distant and a very select few would be chosen for Breeding. Based on lineage, skill sets and physical attributes, the very best of the Nation of Konoha would be sent to the capital and technicians would use their DNA to create new citizens. Children would be sent to live with whomever was deemed best suited to raise them as law abiding members of our great society. You would never meet your children, your siblings. It was clinical, detached. Emotions destabilized the order we strove for, the order that kept Konoha prosperous.

Tenten fought down the bitterness that rose in her throat. She'd grown up in Kusa, one of the smaller villages nestled in fields of long dry grass. She was raised by the perfect citizen and it was a wonder that she was so opposite of everything Konoha believed in. She couldn't help but wonder which village she'd be sent to. Konoha was a nation made up of many villages and none were exactly stellar, but some were worse than others. She'd heard enough horror stories of Oto to hope she'd never get sent there.

Neji was being placed today as well. She hoped he'd be sent somewhere nice.

When she reached Market Center, everyone was already in place. She moved without really thinking, sliding into her place in line. She did not seek out Neji in the boys' lines, instead facing front and watching dispassionately as people were lead into Placement Hall. Officers walked up and down the rows, inspecting everyone present. Her face betrayed nothing. Her line trooped in and when she reached the Placement Officer they handed her a slip of paper and she wasn't even allowed to stop, just hustled forward out the back. She looked down at her paper as they filed outside.

_Ishi. House #128._

They were separated based on the village they were headed to and then lead to the train platform. Tenten boarded the train that would stop in Kumo, Iwa, Ishi and Suna. She took a hard wooden seat in the compartment designated for soon to be Ishi residents and didn't bother to watch Kusa disappear out the window. There was nothing there for her anymore.

_The Past does not exist. Only the Future of Konoha._

* * *

><p><em>Present Day<em>

Tenten knew her hand was sweaty in Sasuke's grip but he didn't let go and she was grateful. His grip was so tight she was losing circulation but she didn't mind, because she knew he needed this as much as she did as they made their only break at freedom.

Ishi was almost entirely a flat expanse of dirt, except for the ring of rock formations circling the town. They were riddled with caverns and tunnels and they were the only place the two of them could possibly hide. Unfortunately, the Officers were well aware of this and the caves were always crawling with them. Still, they didn't have any other option.

They walked quickly down Ishi's one road and the people they passed stared. Some were shocked, some turned away in fear and some watched with the look of someone hell bent on reporting this to the Officers. They were breaking so many rules. You were never permitted to leave your property except for market day and task related reasons and this was clearly neither. They were holding hands too and that was probably worse.

The sun was setting and the orange paint of the sky dimmed into bloody smears. The first curfew bell rung, signaling that everyone should now be inside. They stuck out now, the only people outdoors and Officers would soon begin their patrol to ensure curfew was being followed. Sasuke tugged her arm and they picked up their pace. Her breath puffed out in stressed gasps and Sasuke's gait was rigid and tense. The logical side of her brain was trying to convince her that there was no way they'd make it but she shoved it away. They _would_ make it. She wouldn't accept anything else. _Oh Neji, you always did say I was too stubborn..._

They had just cleared the final line of houses when the second curfew bell sounded and every light in Ishi was extinguished. They were plunged into utter, suffocating darkness and Sasuke began to run.

Dust clouds stung her eyes and she held firm to Sasuke. He returned a vice grip and the pain kept her sharp. She was hoping to hell he knew where he was going when she heard it.

Someone was coming.

Sasuke didn't seem to notice and she pulled her knife out of the folds of her skirt with her spare hand. She'd bunched it up and tied it to make it easier to walk in and she'd bound the knife up inside, just in case. She closed her eyes and focused on the sound, zeroing in on it and threw. Sasuke drew to a sudden stop and she heard a muffled "Shit!".

A light flickered on like a beacon in the dark and she realized that they were facing two Officers. But they weren't regular ones, these ones were dressed in full armour and she felt sick to the stomach. Sasuke drew into a defensive position and so did she. They stood back to back, ready to fight and even Tenten had to admit that things were looking very grim. Two fully armoured Officers against two unarmed civilians. It was hopeless. _I guess I'll be seeing you soon Lee..._

_No! Armour or no armour, I'm not dying here or anywhere. We'll have to meet up later, alright Lee?_

By the light of the Officer's flashlight she could see her aim was true, her knife having buried itself in the chest plate of the shorter of the two. _Hah! We can do this. _

_I'm coming Neji._

"She could've killed me!" He whisper-hissed as he pulled it out and the taller one snorted. Sasuke's eyes narrowed and she could see the suspicion in his gaze.

"Do you want everyone in the whole village to hear you? Shut up alright?" Sasuke stiffened at the voice of the taller of the two and Tenten could swear he recognized it.

"Sorry to scare you, but nice shot!" He complimented her with a wide grin and she must have misheard. Was the Officer really congratulating her on nearly impaling his partner?

"That's Konohamaru," he indicated the one she hit and then pulled off his helmet to reveal blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"And I'm Naruto." Sasuke looked like he'd been punched in the face and Tenten looked between them in silent confusion.

"Wha-What are you doing here?" Sasuke mumbled and Naruto's grin only widened. _So they _do_ know each other._

"Saving you, bastard. Welcome to the Resistance."

_Deception undermines Society. Lies and Omissions are poison._


	4. Part 4

_2 years, 16 days ago_

The train came to a jolting stop and Tenten blinked open her eyes, her brain still hazy from sleep. She looked out her window at Ishi and tried to push down her disappointment. By the faint streaks of light the setting sun was casting, she could see that Ishi seemed to be just a lot of brown dirt and awkwardly shaped caverns and rock formations.

Tenten's back was stiff from a night sitting in her hard wooden chair and she rolled her neck, trying to work out the aches. She felt creaky and old as she stood and fell into line with the others in her car, moving mechanically out of the train.

She stepped off the platform and took a lungful of scratchy, dry heat. Officers sectioned them off by house number and Tenten couldn't help but glance at the people in her group, wondering if her house mates were among them, or if they were arriving on another train.

As their officer began to lead them onward, Tenten tried to take in as much of Ishi as she could. It seemed to only have one long road that wound its way through the entire village and seemed to be about roughly the same size as Kusa. The houses were small, one-storey rectangles probably made for a single group of four (always two girls and two boys), unlike the squat , three and two storey multi-"family" buildings of Kusa.

They trooped along, stopping every once awhile so someone could shuffle off to their new home and the silence felt oppressive. She felt itchy and her skin too tight and the way everything looked exactly the same was making her crazy. By the time the officer snapped off a curt "128", Tenten was ready to scream. The group contained only a handful of people now and when Tenten stepped forward, she was surprised to see she was joined by a stunningly attractive boy with black hair and even darker eyes. She wondered which of the villages he hailed from and then immediately scolded herself. _Not allowed to think about that._

She followed him across their sparse lawn as the group continued on and she tried not to frown at her new home. _I wonder if anyone's already here?_ The boy didn't look back at her as he opened the door and she hurried in after him. The door led them straight into the kitchen, a cramped little room with one hallway leading off of it. Tenten immediately took note of a girl with very long black hair drumming her fingers against the table top, an unimpressed look plastered on her pale face. The boy Tenten came in with moved into the corner of the room, settling into the shadows, and the girl at the table shifted in her seat to sweep narrowed eyes over the both them. There was a sound of distant crashing before a boy came tumbling into the room, his hair sticking up strangely. He shot the both of them an arrogant grin.

"Finally made it, huh?" He questioned, voice smug as he eyed up the boy she came in with.

Tenten didn't like him already.

"Name's Zaku." He offered, smirk stretching across his face and Tenten had to fight the sigh at his obvious attempt to provoke the other boy into a pissing match. She'd known him barely a minute and she was already considering displacement as a viable option.

"Kin." The girl at the table said and Tenten couldn't help but think she had an annoying voice.

_This was going to be fun. _

"I'm Tenten." She said, trying to sound as pleasant as possible. Zaku snorted and she sent him her most scathing glare, hoping he'd get the hint and screw off. They all turned to the boy in the corner and waited and Tenten mused that he'd probably be chosen for Breeding.

"Sasuke." Was his curt reply. An awkward silence followed and Zaku leaned against the wall, folding his arms and watching them like something was particularly amusing. Tenten darted her eyes around the room until they landed on a stack of envelopes sitting on the counter by the sink. Kin followed her gaze and stood, gathering the stack in her hands.

"These'll be our task lists, I guess." She commented, passing them out. Tenten opened hers, unfolding the list within and scanning it quickly. She wasn't at all surprised to see she wouldn't be responsible for any of the household sewing, that was a skill she'd always been awful at. She would, on the other hand, be responsible for all the cooking. She sighed. Cooking for four people was going to be such a hassle. She had other tasks too, of course, but that would be the main one.

She stuffed the paper back in the envelope, only to see that Sasuke had already disappeared. Kin was nodding at hers while Zaku looked disgruntled. Tenten, still tired and sore and not wanting to deal with her house mates yet, slipped past them into the single hallway. There were three doors, a bathroom and two bedrooms, and a piece of paper on two of them, saying who would be in which room. Tenten found the one bearing both her and Kin's names and slipped inside. The room was small and dark and contained only four things. Two single beds pushed up against opposite walls and a chest at the end of each, holding their clothes and task related objects.

The window was criminally small, and did nothing to help the gloom. She chose the bed to her left, knelt down and popped open the trunk, pulling out her sleep wear. The dress was gray and rough, the fabric thick and she felt a sting of fury at the officers for finding yet another way to make them miserable. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and made to stand only for reality to wash over her in a cold flood.

_This is my life now. _

_Order is the key to the Future._

* * *

><p><em>Present Day<em>

Naruto leads them through slate gray halls with clinical white lights, his arms waving wildly as he talks. His grin is wide as he recounts the history of the revolution and Tenten marvels at how someone can be so exuberant and full of life in a world like theirs. She turns to Sasuke to see he still looks like he's seeing a ghost but Tenten forces herself not to pry and ask how they know each other.

She's still a little fuzzy on where exactly this secret headquarters is located but it's definitely underground and seems to go on forever, a twisting mess of corridors that'll be a nightmare to remember. They turn another corner and Naruto turns back to them with a beam.

"I'll find you guys some rooms and then I'll introduce you to everyone at dinner, yeah?" Tenten nods and Naruto rolls his eyes at Sasuke who's looking at him like he expects him to turn out to be an officer in disguise. In all two years she's known Sasuke, she's never seen so many emotions on his face and this tells her that the two had to have been close once.

"We'll be starting our big offensive soon but you guys don't have to do any fighting if you don't want, though we'd love to have ya!" Tenten smiles at him because she _will_ be fighting. She's determined to do everything possible to put an end to the current order. The officers have cost her far too much and it's time she paid them back.

_We'll be free Neji._

Before she can say any of this to Naruto though, someone turns the corner into their hall. It's a tired young woman in a doctor's coat, pink hair tied in a messy bun. There are bags under eyes and a melancholy look to her face but Naruto bounces towards her with a face splitting grin.

"Sakura!" At the sound of his voice, Sasuke snaps his head up and Sakura registers their group, eyes sliding past Naruto to land on Sasuke. Her eyes widen and her lips part and Sasuke seems to have frozen solid. Naruto's grin is manic and Tenten feels like she's interrupting something private.

"Sasuke..." Sakura's voice trails off, breathy and shocked. Her eyes start to fill with tears as she lifts one hand as of to reach out to him but it just hangs there and Tenten shuffles closer to Naruto. There's a look in Sasuke's eyes that Tenten's never seen and she leans over, pinching the sleeve of Naruto's shirt between her fingers.

"Sakura." Sasuke's tone leaves shivers on Tenten's spine and she begins tugging Naruto away. He turns back to her with a pout and opens his mouth to protest.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cries, flinging her arms around his neck. Tenten picks up her pace and doesn't stop until she and Naruto have cleared the corridor.

"Tenten!" He whines and she fixes him with her dirtiest look. There was no way she'd want someone like Naruto spying on her and Neji's reunion and she figured Sasuke and Sakura would hold a similar opinion. Naruto huffs but doesn't argue, instead gesturing at her to follow him.

"Sasuke'll probably bunk with Suigetsu, I'm stuck with Kankuro." He groans and Tenten nods along, even though she doesn't recognize any of the names.

"On the other hand, maybe I can shove Kankuro off to Suigetsu and Sasuke can room with me..." He ponders and she rolls her eyes. He shrugs.

"Either way, you'll be in with Hinata." There's a change in his voice then and Tenten peeks at him from the corner of her eye. His face is happy, but slightly nervous and she feels her eyebrows climbing.

"Ah, here we go!" He says, knocking on a door. The door cracks open, Naruto fidgeting and Tenten gasps. In the doorway stands a girl, a beautiful girl, long dark hair, a lovely face and _Neji's eyes_. Tenten's only ever seen two people with those particular eyes, Neji and Hanabi, and she's often wondered if they'd been related. And she knows, looking at this girl, that she is, at the least, related to Hanabi. There just something so similar in her face and she hadn't expected the sight of those eyes to hurt so much.

"Hullo Hinata!" Naruto bursts out a little too loudly, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, Naruto! Hello." She says smiling sweetly, her cheeks turning faintly pink. It's enough to knock Tenten back to reality and she fights her smirk at Naruto's happy face.

"I just came by to introduce your new roommate, Tenten!" He tells her, pointing at Tenten. She steps forward with a smile.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Hinata gives her a warm smile in return.

"Oh yes, I remember someone mentioning something about that. I'm Hinata." Naruto watches her dopily as she opens the door wider to give Tenten access to the room. Naruto rocks back and forth on his heels, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, I should go! Gotta arrange Sasuke's room!" He forces a chuckle but Hinata's face lights up.

"You've found Sasuke?" She asks, sounding overjoyed. Naruto nods enthusiastically.

"Yup! He's with Sakura now." He waggles his eyebrows and they exchange glowing smiles.

"I'm so happy for you, you must be thrilled!" Her voice bleeds sincerity and Naruto seems to shine.

"Haha, yeah, it's great! Um, thanks," His face hearts up, red staining his cheeks, "you know, for always knowing just what to say to make me feel better about the whole thing. And just, you know, always being there." He stutters into silence and they blush furiously at each other. Tenten wonders if she should leave them alone.

"Oh, no, I was happy to. Any-anytime." There is a further heavy silence as they stare at each other until Naruto finally breaks the spell.

"Well, uh, rooms to arrange!" His eyes suddenly widen, "And, crap, gotta go meet Kakashi for a meeting!" He curses, hurrying away. Hinata watches him go with a soft smile before snapping out of it.

"Oh! Tenten! Please, come in, I'm so sorry!"

"No worries." Tenten reassures her with a knowing grin, stepping into the room. Hinata closes the door and gestures at the bunks on the wall.

"I'm on the bottom, so the top one's yours, if that's alright." Tenten nods.

"So, what's the deal with you and Naruto?" Tenten asks, flopping down on Hinata's bed. Hinata turns red.

"Oh, um, uh, we were together. I mean, lived together! In Tani." Tenten gives her a look.

"With Suigetsu and Matsuri, they're both here to!" She titters, voice higher than normal.

"So, you like him?" Hinata looks terribly flustered.

"Ummmm, I uh," she sighs, "yes." Tenten smiles, patting the bed beside her. Hinata sits.

"How did your whole household end up here?"

"Ah, well, Suigetsu's always had a bit of a temper and he talked back to an officer. Naruto was just coming back from hunting when they tried to displace him. He'd always been rather vocal against displacement at home but this time he actually interfered."

"He tried to stop them taking Suigetsu?" Tenten asks with disbelief. Hinata nods.

"There were four officers and Naruto didn't stand a chance. Suigetsu was already unconscious but Naruto tried to fight them off anyway. They were furious with him and once they'd beaten him, they didn't stop. They were going to kill him right there on the lawn. I was watching from the window and I just couldn't bear it. I had no hope of stopping them, but I ran outside and begged them not to." She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear with a little laugh.

"I swore I wouldn't let them hurt him and they attacked me instead. We should've been displaced, all three of us. But Matsuri had gone running for help. I don't know why she did, after all, she had no idea there were resistance members nearby. Either way, it's lucky she did. Gaara, Kankuro, Kakashi and Karin were undercover in Tani and they overheard her. They showed up, managed to fight off the officers and got us out and now we're here." She says, with a shrug.

"Matsuri doesn't do much fighting but Naruto and Suigetsu were more than eager to join in. Naruto's really risen up in the revolution, he's become one of its key members." She finishes, sounding proud.

"Well, I'll be fighting with him. There's someone out there, Neji, and I swore I'd find him. Not to mention I can't wait to kick some officer ass." A part of her hopes Hinata will recognize Neji's name and will tell her he's already here, a member of the revolution. But she doesn't.

"I'm sure you will." Hinata tells her instead, squeezing her hand and Tenten nods.

_I will. I'm coming Neji._

_You are your station. Interaction between stations is forbidden._

**AN I know this chapter is kinda boring, but it's necessary set up for the final three.**


	5. Part 5

_2 years, 11 days ago_

Tenten took a deep lungful of the dusty air, feeling her lips stretch up in a smile, excitement thrumming through her veins for the first time in what felt like forever.

It was Market Day.

Today she could leave her property and shed the caged in feeling that had clung to her like a second skin. She could see and talk to other people aside from those she lived with.

She was free.

She knew she wasn't really, but just the feeling of liberation that had struck as she stepped off the lawn and onto the road, freshly shined shoes immediately dirtied, had nearly bowled her over in its bitter sweetness. She was still trapped, confined, but Market Day still felt like a blessing.

She'd felt the anticipation building all the night before and had fidgeted so much at dinner even the normally stoic Sasuke had been annoyed, snapping at her to quit it. She hadn't been able to, Market Day pulling her mind in a thousand different directions and she'd stayed up most of the night, her brain racing. She'd woken up long before the sun rose, her whole body jittery and had practically bounced up and down while waiting for Kin to be ready. She'd even hummed while cooking breakfast, a thrill bubbling beneath her skin.

Now that they'd left, Tenten had to force herself not to skip down the road, the container of meat she would be using as payment clutched tight under her arm. Kin walked beside her, not appearing nearly as exuberant as Tenten felt, her own container glinting in the sun. Tenten's mood had only lightened at the fit Zaku had pitched because he wasn't permitted to attend Market Day, as only those who needed to purchase something could go (so she may be a _bit _vindictive but he was a _serious_ pain). He and Sasuke had been left at home and Tenten didn't mind in the slightest, relishing in how nice it would be to take a break from her housemates, Zaku especially. She was so excited in fact, that she hadn't even let Zaku's moaning that she'd _better_ be back in time to cook him lunch annoy her. She'd simply smiled indulgently, shrugged and floated out the door, Zaku's whining following her out.

The walk felt torturously long but at the same time, incredible on its own. She took in everything, each identical house, every scraggly bush. Ishi was pathetic, boring and small but at the moment, it felt huge and open and Tenten never wanted today to end.

The sky was a sickly orange when they arrived at the market and Tenten was pleased to see they were one of the first groups to arrive, meaning they'd get the pick of the litter. Kin wandered off to a sewing stall for supplies because someone, *coughZakucough*, had a nasty habit of ripping his shirts and Tenten fished in the pocket of her apron for her list. She needed mostly food, fruits, vegetables, potatoes, spices and the like as well as some soap because someone, *coughZAKUcough* had a foul penchant for always getting his clothes dirty. People she'd never seen before milled about the Market and Tenten's eyes hungrily swept over all the assorted stalls, selling food, clothes, thread, cleaning supplies, firewood, dishes and more. The purpose of Market Day was so people could buy whatever it was their tasks didn't supply for them.

Living in Ishi meant that things like fruits, vegetables, seasonings, cloth, thread, needles and cleaning supplies always had to be bought, wherein things like meat, wood and water were collected by someone with that task. But should the person responsible for one of these things be displaced, for example, if Sasuke, who did all the hunting, was taken, the remaining members of the household would be required to purchase it (ex: meat, had Sasuke been taken) from the Market, as it was forbidden for anyone to take on anyone else's tasks. This was just another way for the Officers to make life even harder for everyone and led to at least half of all displacements, as plenty of people tried to take on displaced members' tasks, especially when those tasks were things like cooking.

For now, Tenten's household still had all its members, so she only needed to purchase those things she couldn't find naturally. She spotted a fruit and veggie stall and made her way over, eyes already scanning the potato selection. She was so focused on trying to decide how many potatoes she'd need until next Market Day that she didn't even notice the person next to her until she bumped into them. Her eyes widened.

"I'm so sorry!" Her victim was a girl about her age, if perhaps a little older, with sandy blonde hair and striking teal eyes. She shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. Geez, these peppers are awful." She grumbled and Tenten wasn't sure if she was meant to say anything. The girl dropped the "awful" pepper back into the bin, turning to face Tenten and giving her a shrewd once over. As awkward as Tenten felt, she refused to show it and finally the girl stopped, offering her a small smile.

"I'm Temari by the way." She said, going back to examining the peppers with a disgruntled look.

"Tenten."

"So you're on cooking duty too?" Temari asked, digging around as if hoping to find a hidden trove of quality peppers. Tenten nodded.

"Well, I don't know how I ended up with it, I hate cooking. Hanabi should've been assigned it. That's her over there, arguing about needles." Temari pointed to a dark haired girl at a distant stall. Tenten couldn't make out her features, but felt concern at her flailing limbs. Showing that much emotion in a place filled with Officers was like begging for displacement. She meant to say something to Temari about it but she seemed entirely unconcerned, having turned back to the cart and begun scrutinizing a carrot.

"Or Chouji at the least, I've never met someone with so much gusto for food. Then again, there's always the chance he'd eat it all before anyone else got any." She said with a snort and Tenten smiled.

"Mostly the boys at my place just argue about who got to do the hunting. Well, Zaku whines and Sasuke ignores him." Temari snorted.

"Speaking of hunters, you see that dumbass over there?" She asked, pointing at a tall boy with messy brown hair and an unidentifiable "wildness" about him. Tenten nodded. Temari leaned in close, whispering.

"That's Kiba. He's the hunter in my little group and he has absolutely zero reason to be here." Tenten's eyes widened and Temari answered her silent question.

"He figured it wasn't fair that he'd never get to go to Market, so he decided he'd tag along. He reckons that as long as he looks like he belongs, the officers will be none the wiser. He better hope he's right, because if he gets caught, I'm going to make displacement look like heaven." Tenten's jaw dropped at Kiba's recklessness, her own housemates seeming tame in comparison. Temari nodded and let out a long suffering sigh.

"Yup, I'm stuck with two hotheads and Chouji, who, while he isn't gunning to be dead, isn't exactly a piece of cake to get along with. On the other hand, there's this dark, handsome type next door, wouldn't mind a piece of that." She confided quietly and Tenten bit her lip to keep from snorting.

"Yeah, I've got a good looking one, but he's about as conversational as a rock. And the other two are just grating. I've been looking forward to today all week." Temari started to grin but noticed the suspicious look from the stall keeper and returned to weighing onions in her hands. Tenten felt herself wilt at the end of their conversation, enjoying talking to someone who didn't make her want to tear out her hair in frustration. She felt her eyes drift back to Kiba and felt a tug of recognition at the back of her mind. Why did he seem so familiar? She chewed on her lip, vaguely listening to Temari negotiating how much firewood she'd give in exchange for the food when it hit her.

"Do you live at 127?" She asked Temari. Temari looked surprised but nodded slowly.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I live next door at 128 and I recognized Kiba. He always passes by on his way to and from hunting." They exchanged smiles.

"Looks like we're neighbours then."

"Yup." Tenten answered with a grin only to watch the colour drain from Temari's face as she looked at something over Tenten's shoulder. She whipped around to catch a girl with long brown hair being dragged away by the officers. She didn't struggle and her jaw was set and Tenten couldn't help but think she was familiar, though she knew she'd never seen her before.

"Hana..." Temari whispered sadly behind her and Tenten could feel her excitement at Market Day draining away. But then, she shouldn't have been enjoying herself at all.

Happiness had no place in Konoha.

_We are Konoha. Individuals are the seeds of dissention._

* * *

><p><em>Present<em>

Tenten danced gracefully through the battle, her weapons flashing in the moonlight and chanced a look at the chaos around her. Officers and rebels clashed throughout the narrow roads, clouds of dust rising through the air and fire lit the haze. Tonight was the night of the revolution's first major offensive and Ishi was one of the five villages they were attacking in tandem. They were definitely outnumbered but they were far more determined than the Officers, which seemed to working in their favour.

Konoha was made up of twelve villages and a capital and the revolution's leaders realised it would be foolish to attack only one village at a time, making it easy for the officers to retake the lone village after they'd taken it. The best strategy would be to kick the Officers out of multiple cities at once as well as destroying to rail lines to stop the Officers from freely moving around. Unfortunately, the revolution was nowhere near big enough to take out all thirteen villages, so they'd divided then into three groups, planning the attacks in rapid succession, hoping to finish off with the capital. There was also the hope that once they'd liberated the villages, the people living there would join up, at the very least in defending their town against any sort of counterattack.

Ishi, Taki, Kumo, Oto and Ame were the first villages to be attacked and because Tenten had once lived in Ishi, she had been instructed to lead Suigetsu and Gaara in securing section 11 of the village, which just so happened to include her former house. There'd been a curl of claustrophobia in her stomach ever since they'd mentioned she'd be going back, but she ignored it. What mattered was taking out the Officers and finding Neji. She couldn't afford to be scared.

Sasuke was in Ishi too, teaming up with Naruto, Kankuro and Samui to take the Market. It had never been outright confirmed, but she was pretty certain Naruto and Sasuke had been friends prior to placement and she liked the softer Sasuke that had emerged in Naruto and Sakura's presence, not that she'd told him that.

Suigetsu cackled wildly as he swung his sword through a swath of oncoming officers and it jolted Tenten back to the present. She dodged a heavily armoured fist and slammed her elbow into the exposed flesh at the Officer's neck, causing him to collapse with a pained gurgle. Gaara swept past, still eerily calm, his clothes stained dark and Tenten hardened her stomach at the sight. Her partners were probably the most unsettling pair she could've been stuck with, what with Gaara's even tempered slaughtering and Suigetsu's overt pleasure every time he made contact with the enemy, but she couldn't deny they were incredible effective. Both had been cutting through the enemy like butter and "Section 11", as their target zone was called, seemed well within their grasp.

The next Officer to come near her received a knife to the face and she spun, ready to take on the one she heard coming up behind her, only for him to pitch forward, the jagged edge of a hunting knife protruding from his torso.

"Well, look who it is." Kiba smirked before her, yanking his knife from the Officer's back. She couldn't stop her eyes from widening or her mouth from popping open.

He was alive.

Clearly he'd heard the battle and decided to jump in, which was so typically Kiba it almost hurt. Tenten had tried her best not to think of the people she'd left behind in Ishi when she'd left, knowing it would only cause her stress because she couldn't to do anything to keep them safe. But here Kiba was, safe and sound, which felt like a miracle knowing his temper and general flaunting of the rules.

"Never thought I'd see you again." He commented and she nodded, flattening her feelings and pressing her back to his as more Officers swarmed around them.

"Thought you'd been displaced." Kiba said, slashing his knife across some unlucky man's face.

"Almost." She answered, driving hers into the exposed armpit of another.

"Almost?" He asked, a quirk to his lips. Maybe it was the exhilaration of battle, or of seeing Kiba alive, or of knowing she was a step closer to finding Neji but she couldn't push down the laugh that rose up her throat.

"They came for us." She told him, feeling proud and invincible. One of his eyebrows went up in question as he tossed an Officer aside and the adrenaline must have being messing with her head because she laughed again, moving nimbly out of reach of an Officer's weapon.

"But Sasuke and I managed to escape." Kiba interrupted her with a groan.

"Sasuke made it too? Typical." She smirked at him as he grumbled, venting his frustration on a particularly stocky officer.

"Then we ran into the resistance. And here we are." She finished, knife cracking through the visor of the helmeted man in front of her.

"Here you are." He agreed, tackling a heavy set man with a grunt.

"I'm just offended you didn't come and recruit me." He said with a pout and she rolled her eyes, delivering a hard kick into the stomach of a nearby foe.

"Come on, killing officers, this is like a dream come true." Kiba told her with a grin. Tenten opened her mouth to make a snarky comment but closed it, a cold feeling shimmying up her throat at the hard undercurrent of his voice.

"I heard about Hanabi." She could see him tense from the corner of her eye.

"Those bastards're just lucky I was out hunting when they took her. I'd have killed them with my bare hands." He growled and Tenten knew he meant it, knew Hanabi had been like a younger sister to him. She meant to say something comforting, but then a sudden jolt hit her stomach.

"Where's Temari?" She asked, fearing she'd been taken in her absence. To her relief, Kiba let out a laugh.

"Ran off with the kitchen knives. I suspect they'll be a trail of dead Officers we can follow if we need to find her." Tenten couldn't help her smile as relief filled her veins. They moved as one, taking down the officers ranging around them.

_We're taking Ishi. Failure isn't an option._

_I'm almost there Neji._

"Damn, that all you fuckers got?" Suigetsu howled at the thinning ranks of the officers, sounding immeasurably disappointed.

"Looks like we're winning." Kiba said with a grin and Tenten nodded, blood still thick with adrenaline. Tenten threw her final knife into the back of a retreating Officer, watching with detachment as he fell forward, her eyes scanning for anyone else in the dark. A sickening crunch came from where Gaara and his last victim stood and then silence fell over their little section, distant battle sounds fluttering through the dusty air. Suigetsu cursed as he realised their fight was done and Tenten moved around cautiously, removing her knives from the cooling bodies on the ground. Kiba wiped his bloody hands on his pants and Gaara settled into a seated position, getting ready to wait for their next instructions.

* * *

><p>"I'm no Sakura, but here, this should help." Hinata offered, rubbing an ointment against Tenten's injured arm. She hissed as it met her skin and reflected on how lucky the ones assigned to Taki with Sakura were. Still, Hinata's salve worked wonders, the stinging pain she'd been experiencing for the last hour receding slowly. Hinata continued to rove her body, searching out all the aches and pains and Tenten felt her exhaustion catch up with her, her eyes drooping under Hinata's gentle ministrations.<p>

"Well, look who survived."

"Try not to sound too upset." Her head jerked up at the sound of the familiar voices, eyes zeroing in on a grinning Kiba and smirking Temari as they spoke to each other. Relief and happiness burst in her chest and she stood suddenly, nearly knocking Hinata over. She flung her arms around Temari, who startled but then patted her back.

"I should've been surprised to see Sasuke but honestly, if anyone was going to avoid displacement and run off to join the revolution, it'd be you two, wouldn't it?" Temari commented with a shake of her head and a grin. Tenten flashed her a sheepish smile.

"So, where're we headed next?" Kiba asked, slinging an arm over both their shoulders. Temari rolled her eyes and Tenten perked up.

"You wanna join?" Kiba snorted.

"Hell yeah, how could I _not _want to run around kicking officer ass?" Temari rolled her eyes again and Kiba gave her a playful nudge while Tenten's smile widened.

"Well, we're waiting to hear from Ame, Oto, Kumo and Taki to find out if they've succeeded there, and if they have, we'll be hitting Kusa, Iwa, Suna and Tani next. I'm off to Kusa. Since it's my hometown, I'll know the layout." Temari nodded thoughtfully.

"Looks like I'll be taking Suna then."

"That's where you're from?" Tenten asked and Temari nodded.

"I would've guessed Shimo, since you're so frigid and all." Kiba teased and Tenten shook her head with a laugh.

"What about you?" She asked him, "Where're you from?"

"Taki, so looks like I won't be able to liberate my old town. Too bad, looks like I'll have to take it out on some other poor village." He grinned, cracking his knuckles and Temari released a beleaguered sigh.

"You two should talk to Naruto, he can add you to the roster. I'm paired up with Karui, Karin and Udon for next time, but maybe we could wind up together for the last raid." Tenten felt a happy swirl in her stomach at the thought. Kiba and Temari had been the closest things to friends she'd had in Ishi and chatting with them at Market Day had always been the highlight of her week.

Kiba nodded and headed over to do just that when someone came sprinting into their little clearing. It was Udon, panting and holding a stack of papers in hand. Ever since they'd won Ishi, Udon had been sitting by the radio in Placement Hall, sending out messages to the other villages saying they'd won and waiting to hear back. Tenten felt her nerves tighten.

He obviously had news.

"I co-copied it down...word...for word. Exactly." Udon wheezed and Naruto grinned, taking the offered papers. Everyone seemed to hold their breath, leaning forward as Naruto opened his mouth.

"Ame-Mission Success. Yahiko." Naruto read aloud and Tenten felt relief squeeze through her. At the very least they'd succeeded in two villages. She crossed her fingers in her lap and closed her eyes.

_Please please please._

"Tayuya here, Oto is ours. Repeat, Oto is ours, bitches." Naruto snorted as he finished and Tenten felt lightheaded with victory.

"This is Kakashi, mission accomplished in Taki." That was four out of five! All eyes were on Naruto as he read the final sheet and she could feel the barely contained explosion in the group around her. _Come on Kumo, come on._

"We've taken Kumo, Darui out." A deafening cheer went up and Tenten threw an arm over Temari on one side and Gaara on the other, squeezing them both tight. She could see Kiba shaking hands with Kankuro, Naruto gathering Hinata in a bear hug as she blushed luminescent and everyone around her celebrating.

Hope exploded in her blood.

_We can win this. We _will_ win this. _

_Get ready Neji, I'll be seeing you soon. _

**_Violence is intolerable._**


	6. Part 6

_1 year, 78 days ago_

Tenten glared into her pot of potatoes as if the sheer power of her disdain could set fire to it. She was absolutely, totally, one hundred and thirty million percent _done_ with boiled _anything_. She was very, very, _very _near the point where she was going to start eating everything raw (and inevitably dying of some awful disease) simply to avoid having to eat more boiled food. She'd even attempted to build a roasting contraption (which would've resulted in extreme displacement had she been caught) but it had failed spectacularly to a chorus of Zaku's jeering (he was lucky she hadn't boiled _him_).

Unfortunately the potatoes did not simply burst into flames and cook from her eyes so she had to resign herself to more boiling, gnashing her teeth all the while. Just as she headed out to the fire pit in the front yard, Zaku and Sasuke returned from their morning chores. Sasuke slunk to the back of the house, as antisocial as usual but Zaku swaggered towards her, arms laden with fire wood. She wrinkled her nose at the state of his filthy shirt, dirty and covered in bits of wood. She squatted by the pit and began to ready the fire and he stopped in front of her, and though she couldn't see his face, she would bet her life that he was smirking obnoxiously.

"Got your _wood_ right here." He commented, voice oily. Tenten gagged. He snorted and let the wood tumble from his arms into a heap. She made to glare disapprovingly but was interrupted by a long _rrrrrriiiippp. _Her eyes widened and her head shot up to see that one of Zaku's sleeves had caught on some bark and now had a ragged hole in it. She gaped but Zaku appeared unconcerned.

"Go have Kin fix that." She snapped urgently, but he merely scoffed at her concern. She continued to glare until he rolled his eyes but began moving to the house. Satisfied, she turned back to her potatoes. She sighed. Goddamn _boiling_.

And that's when she heard the crunch of dirt beneath someone's boot. Her head jerked up in panic, catching sight of the pack of officers moving towards them. _Inspection._ Her breath stopped in her throat and she forced her head down, refusing to allow herself to look at Zaku, knowing it would only screw things up for the both of them.

_Remain calm, think of potatoes, everything is fine, nothing to hide here, Zaku's already inside, already given Kin his shirt, changing into a better one right now, boil potatoes, everything is fine_

"You! Stop! I said stop!"

_everything is fine, they won't notice the rip, why aren't you faster Zaku?_

"What's this?"

"Nothing, I swear!"

_it's okay okay okay_

"Talking to an officer? You have broken a cardinal rule of Konoha. Not to mention the state of your clothes."

_potatoes are fairly easy to make, don't look, don't look, easy to spice up, ignore them, still kind of dull after over a year_, _don't look_

"You will be taken for displacement."

_it's fine, it'll be fine_

"No! NO! Please, stop, please! Help! Someone! No, no stop!"

_potatoes, potatoes, potatoes_

**CRACK**

_god i hate boiling_

_All crimes will be punished. Punishment cleanses society. Punishment is rebirth and those punished exist no longer._

* * *

><p><em>Present<em>

Kiri had a wet feeling to the atmosphere and a thick mist hung over the village, causing her clothes to stick to her skin. It was hot in an oppressive, humid way, just staying still causing a thin layer of sweat to spread across her body. She felt sticky and every movement felt like she was dragging her limbs through soup.

Fighting in these conditions was going to be a nightmare.

_Doesn't matter. We _are_ fighting and we're winning. End of story. _

Tenten crouched between Kiba and Konohamaru, waiting for the signal to attack. She could feel Konohamaru quivering beside her but Kiba was silent and still, a hunter watching his prey. They had to remain entirely undetected but the wait was driving her crazy.

This was the end.

Today was the day of their last offensive. If they succeeded today, then it was over. They'd win. Tenten's target, Kiri, was one of the larger villages, houses spidering out in rings from the Market Center in the middle of the village. Tenten and her group were responsible for taking section 5 of the outer ring and she just wanted to _go_, _start_, because her blood felt ready to boil over.

After today, they'll have taken every village. After today, she'll finally be able to find Neji.

(_Because he isn't dead, he can't be)_

It was past curfew and the village was in total darkness, so much so that Tenten couldn't see the boys nestled beside her in the little riverbed they'd chosen as cover, just beyond the last ring of houses.

And then finally,_ finally_ the sky lit up. Everything was instantly painted red and orange as the Market Circle went up in flames. Tenten and her team leapt from the river and surged forward through the heavy mist, even as it glowed with the fire light. As soon as they crossed the line into town, they were met by a contingent of officers. Kiba's grin was feral as he leapt into the fray and Konohamaru launched in after him, his nervous energy exploding outward. Tenten hung back, eyes peeled for an opening. _There._ Her knife flew with pinpoint accuracy, burying itself in the vulnerable part of the officer's armour. She continued playing support for her more exuberant teammates while they cut through the officers' ranks, the weather offering stiffer resistance than the enemy itself.

Only a few minutes in and she was already having trouble breathing, the terrible humid air making every effort cost twice as much. Her movements were slowing and it was a struggle to keep her aim perfect, to ensure she always hit her target. She blinked heavy eyelids as an officer swung at her, her lethargic limbs unable to dodge, but he missed, his heavy armour tiring him out even faster than her. She seized her chance and plunged her knife into his neck, wondering where the boys were and if they were alright.

She turned just in time to see one bearing down on Kiba but before she could lift a finger to help, there was an almighty _clang! _and the officer crumpled. A pretty blonde had come sprinting from the closest house, heavy frying pan in hand and determination in her blue eyes. She noticed Kiba and Tenten's stunned expressions and rolled her eyes.

"Look, if you're sending these officer assholes packing, then I'm sure as hell helping."

"My kind of girl." Kiba said, sounding impressed and the two of them shared a grin. They fell back to back and Tenten shook herself before turning back to the battle. Officers circled behind them, forcing her out of support and into the thick of the fighting and it was taking everything she had to stay alive. The officers seemed never ending and the longer the fight went on, the sloppier she became, every part of her body burning. She pushed on, Neji's face swimming through her mind. She couldn't give up, she _wouldn't_.

_Come on, COME ON, you can do this, gotta find Neji, can't do that if you give up, don't give up, Neji, Neji, Neji_

Her train of thought was derailed by the sound of shattering glass and then a door was thrown open.

"Ino!" A redheaded girl shrieked, running from the same house as the blonde girl (Ino, Tenten supposed).

"Someone threw something in the-" She never finished, an explosion drowning out her words.

"Moegi!" Ino shouted as the windows blew out, glass flying in all directions. Moegi screamed, attempting to shield herself with her arms but the door was flung off its hinges and hurtled towards her.

"I got you!" Konohamaru called, grabbing her around the waist and diving out of harm's way. Tenten heard their screams as they tumbled through the flames licking outwards from the house, landing hard on glass and rubble. Ino tore off towards them and Kiba collided with the officers that had thrown the explosive while Tenten watched their little house be devoured by the fire. Something inside her snapped at the sight and she turned back to the battle, leaping in beside Kiba, her knives flashing.

The battle was chaotic and messy, a flurry of flying limbs and a storm of shouts and screams. She felt a blade cut into her skin and flinched, pain shooting up her arm. It hurt like nothing she'd ever felt but she refused to stop, determined to put an end to this once and for all. Ino rejoined them at some point, her face grim but a quick glance assured Tenten that Konohamaru and Moegi were injured but alive, huddled together behind a half crumbled wall.

She could barely breath as officers continued to pour through the narrow streets. Her body was screaming in protest and Tenten had absolutely no idea how the battle was going. Everything was orange and hazy and she could only pray they were winning, that it'd be over soon, because her legs were shaking so much she could barely stand. Ino was the only one who didn't seem to be affected by the weather, but then, she lived here, she was probably used to it. Tenten tried to focus her mind but her hand was so slick with sweat she was having trouble keeping a grip on her knife.

_We have to end this now._

She was tired and aching, each breath feeling like sucking on knives, but she forced herself onwards, throwing herself at an oncoming officer. She used her momentum to sink her knife into his chest and he fell backwards, the two of them landing hard on the ground. The breath was punched out of her and she lay there on top of the dead man gasping for air. With a herculean effort, she pushed herself up and stumbled to her feet, preparing herself for the next fight even as her head swam only to realize there was no one left.

They'd done it. It was over.

She nearly collapsed from the relief, lights popping in her eyes, her breathing ragged. She could hear someone sobbing and she caught Moegi and Konohamaru hugging out of the corner of her eye. Kiba punched a fist into the air and flopped down onto the dirt and she hiccupped out a laugh, tears mixing with the sweat on her cheeks.

Her legs shook with the effort of standing and she heard the sound of soft footfalls behind her and then,

"Tenten."

She felt her heart stop at his voice and she turned slowly, afraid of what she'd find. When their eyes met, she released the breath she'd been holding since the moment they'd said goodbye.

"_Neji..._"

_You exist to follow and serve society. _


	7. Part 7

_**AN First off, a big thank you to guest reviewer Chisa Chispa for all your kind words and for giving me the final boost I needed to finish this. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to read this story. To starhuda, Leah and all the guest reviewers, it means the world that you took the time to review. To all those who favourited or followed this, you're all super awesome. And finally a special thanks to nameanonauthor on Tumblr for the prompt that got this whole thing started and Aquarius Galuxy for your kind reviews every chapter and sticking with me till the end. Thanks and I hope you like it!**_

* * *

><p><em>213 days ago<em>

"I _hate_ stitching. Why can't we just buy Sasuke a new shirt?" Kin whined and Tenten rolled her eyes, venting her frustration on the plate she was scrubbing.

"Oh, are we rich then? Would've been nice if someone'd told me." She grumbled and Kin scoffed. Tenten gritted her teeth and looked over her shoulder to see Kin picking her nails. Her sewing kit was open on the table, Sasuke's torn shirt balled up next to it but Kin, who should have been mending it, seemed to think her total lack of activity deserved a break. Tenten turned back to the sink with a sigh.

"Don't you have work to do?" She pointed out, only to be answered with another scoff.

"I'm sure the shirt'll still be free in a minute." Kin replied nastily and Tenten closed her eyes, her fingers tightening on the wet dish she held.

"Well, hopefully the Officers won't be." She snapped, her annoyance getting the best of her. Kin rolled her eyes and Tenten dropped her last dish back in the sink with a clang. She dried her hands on her apron, shooting filthy looks at Kin all the while and pulled out plates for supper.

"That's real nice." Kin said and Tenten didn't answer, mulling over her options for dinner.

"I'm going to go see if Sasuke has anything other than rabbit outside," She said, scowling at the contents of their ice box. Kin ignored her, continuing to examine her nails, "And here's a crazy suggestion, maybe you could do some chores, hmm?" Tenten said loudly, moving to the back door.

"Nope, I'm just gonna sit here _alllll_ day." Kin drawled, not even looking up from her fingers and Tenten rolled her eyes. She reached the end of the hall and stepped outside, slamming the door behind her. Sasuke looked up from his work and quirked an eyebrow at her disgruntled expression.

"Kin's _infuriating_." She told him, folding her arms tightly across her chest while Sasuke snorted.

"Also, _please_ tell me you have something other than rabbit." She begged, needing something to go right today. _Of course, it was an orange day..._

He nodded, searching through the various meats on his work table but before he could find something appropriate, there was a muffled scream from inside and the sound of crashing. Tenten's eyes widened and she jerked her head up to meet Sasuke's gaze. There was a slight furrow to his brow and Tenten could feel her heart tighten.

_She probably just fell over. Nothing to worry about._

"Tenten..." Sasuke warned but she ignored him, opened the back door with trembling hands and moved slowly inside, trying her hardest not to panic. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

_Kin's just going to be complaining in the kitchen and everything'll be fine._

She froze when she entered the kitchen, opening her eyes and hoping one last time.

_If the officers caught her slacking, they'll have displaced her._

"It'll be okay ." She whispered, looking around, her stomach dropping to her toes.

There was a chair knocked over, Kin's unfinished work spread across the table and the front door left ajar, but Kin, Kin was nowhere to be found.

_Perform your tasks to the utmost. Society must always prosper._

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><p>They sat at the kitchen table, faces shadowed by the dim lighting.<p>

"They're not taking me." Sasuke's voice was quiet but Tenten caught every word, her nerves buzzing. He snapped his head up and their eyes met and she felt it like an electric jolt down her spine.

"We fight back." She felt her breath catch but he was serious, deadly serious and she nodded.

"We fight back." She agreed and just like that, it was decided.

* * *

><p><em>We won't be taken<em>

_It was a whisper, a forbidden one said in hushed tones late at night._

_They wouldn't be taken._

_If the officers came for them, they'd escape, they'd fight._

_It was a whisper._

_It was a promise._

_It was the beginning._

* * *

><p><em>Present<em>

"Neji!" Ino shrieked, rushing past Tenten and flinging her arms around Neji's neck. Tenten felt as if she couldn't move, couldn't blink, as if all she could do was stare at him, drinking every bit of him in.

"Where've you been? We were worried sick!" Ino chastised and Tenten took stock of him, her eyes sweeping over him hungrily. His hair was longer, there were lines in the corners of his eyes and he was thinner but still, he was _Neji_.

_I found you._

"And Shino? Is he alright?"

"He's fine. I left him at the Market." He answered but his eyes were glued to Tenten's and all of her previous exhaustion seemed to drain right out of her. He carefully extricated himself from Ino's grip, ignoring her confused expression and moved purposefully forward and Tenten felt like every bone in her body had suddenly caught fire.

"Tenten..." He breathed and she smiled, feeling the tears start to well up in her eyes even as she felt warm all over, like she was feeling the sun for the first time in years.

"Neji." And then they collided, his arms around her waist, hers around his neck. She pressed her face against his shoulder, threading her fingers through his hair and breathing him in as his hands ran up and down her back.

"I never thought I'd see you again." He mumbled into her hair and a wet laugh bubbled up her throat and she pulled back, cupping his face.

"I told you I'd find you and I did. _I found you_ and I will _always_ find you." She promised and he nodded, his smile melting her heart. She gave him a teary grin in response.

"I love you." She choked out, tightening her grip on him as he pressed their foreheads together.

"I love you too. My hero." She laughed and they just stared at each other stupidly , happiness coursing through every vein in her body.

"But you'll never have to find me again. Because I don't plan on going anywhere ever again." He told her seriously, his hands sliding up to her cheeks. She nodded, tears spilling over.

"Okay." His thumbs moved over her cheekbones, wiping at her tears and then he leaned down and she fluttered her eyes shut.

"I love you." He whispered against her lips.

And then he kissed her.

* * *

><p><em>We win<em>


End file.
